WO2011036409A1

WO2011036409A1 - Method for sending an e-mail with an attachment, and device implementing said method

Info

Publication number: WO2011036409A1
Application number: PCT/FR2010/051993
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Raymond Michel RENÉ; Cédric RICARD
Original assignee: Calexium
Priority date: 2009-09-23
Filing date: 2010-09-22
Publication date: 2011-03-31
Also published as: FR2950454A1; FR2950454B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for sending an electronic mail message, known as an e-mail, to a receiving server of a recipient, said e-mail including a text body and at least one attachment, said method including the following steps: detecting the maximum size of e-mail accepted by the receiving server; comparing the size of the e-mail relative to said maximum size; when the e-mail is no larger than the maximum size: sending the e-mail directly to the receiving server; when the e-mail is larger than the maximum size: removing all the attachments, transferring said attachments to at least one download server, adding to the e-mail a Uniform Resource Identifier or URI pointing to at least one location of said attachments, and sending the modified e-mail to the recipient.

Description

"Method for transmitting an email with an attachment, and apparatus implementing such a method."

The present invention relates to a method for transmitting an electronic mail said email to a receiving server of a recipient, the email comprising a body of text and at least one attachment.

The e-mail enables message transfer between a sender and a recipient via an Internet-type computer network. This e-mail service is widely used and is a communication tool in both the professional and the private sector.

However, this service still suffers from a problem of limiting the size of the attachments.

In general, each e-mail server imposes in reception a maximum size by e-mail. Indeed, the transfer of too large emails would occupy too much memory space in the mail server and occupy a significant bandwidth, which would slow down other services to the Internet via this email server.

Today, it is almost impossible to send an email with one or more large files (several tens of MB) as an attachment. Unconvincing solutions exist. In most of these solutions, the sender must bypass his e-mail server by depositing the large file in a download server on the Internet, and inserting a link in the body of an email text so that the sender can access and download the large file. This solution requires many manipulations, which is a source of errors and a significant loss of time.

Document WO 2007/133504 discloses a system that automates the solution described above. Indeed, this document describes a mail server that automatically separates any attachment from an email, transmits the attachment to a download server, and inserts into the body of the email indications so that the sender can recover the attachment. The disadvantage of such a system is that either the attachment is always extracted from the email and then sent to a download server, or the extraction is subject to a size and / or type of attachment (image, video,...). Systematic extraction adds to the use of email for the recipient. The implementation of predefined criteria constitutes an arbitrary parameter setting that does not take into account the specificities of the recipient.

The present invention aims to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing an optimized method of email transfer.

An object of the present invention is an automatic method which is transparent to the sender and not very disturbing to the sender.

At least one of the aforementioned objects is reached with a method for transmitting an e-mail said e-mail to a receiving server of a recipient, this e-mail comprising a body of text and at least one attachment, this method comprising the following steps :

detection of the maximum acceptable size by the reception server for an email,

- comparison of the size of the email with respect to this maximum size,

when the size of the email is less than or equal to the maximum size, direct transmission of the email to the reception server, that is to say without separation of the body of text with respect to the attachment,

- when the size of the email is greater than the maximum size:

- extraction of all attachments,

- moving these attachments to at least one download server,

- adding in the email a uniform resource identifier called URI for "Uniform Resource Identifier" pointing at least to a location of said attachments, and

- transmission of the modified email to the recipient.

With the method according to the invention, there is a detection step to know the maximum size allowed by the receiving server. Thus, the subsequent comparison step is an analysis step in which it is determined whether or not it is necessary to start the process of separation of attachments. These two steps are not disclosed by the prior art which does not take into account the reception capacity of the reception server. The method according to the present invention is an optimized method in which the recipient must download attachments of high capacity only when it is his receiving server that is a brake to a direct sending of these attachments by email.

For its part, the user prepares his email conventionally and click on the send button in a conventional manner.

Preferably, the detection is a step prior to sending the email in which an SMTP communication is generated to the reception server. This can be done by sending a request by an SMTP client and then receiving information about the maximum acceptable size by the receiving server for an email.

The present invention also relates to the case where in the detection step, the reception server does not return any information. In this case, it is considered a priori that this reception server is able to receive attachments of any size. We start sending the email directly. If during direct sending, the receiving server shows up to indicate that the maximum size is reached or that it will not be able to receive the email because of the size, then the attachment separation process is started. In other words, the detection preferably intervenes before the sending, but it can also intervene during the direct sending. In this case the detection is initiated by the reception server.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the uniform resource identifier is added as a link in a new attachment in the email. In this embodiment, the body of text is not disturbed and the link to access the attachments is inserted into a new attachment that is created and added to the email to replace said attachments of large size. capacity (size exceeding said maximum size). This new attachment can advantageously be a html file in which the link is a hyperlink. More precisely, the uniform identifier of resource can be an HTML redirection or "META REFRESH" redirection allowing to automatically access the location where are stored these attachments by means of a web browser. In other words, when the recipient receives the email with the new attachment, without the high-capacity attachments, that recipient will click on the new attachment that is a html file. When this file is opened, the redirection process is activated immediately so that a Web browser opens on a page of the download server. In fact, the uniform resource identifier advantageously points to a web page displaying all of said attachments. In the prior art, there is a link by attachment, which multiplies the number of open web pages by the same amount.

According to another embodiment, the new attachment can be a Torrent file, the download server also being a Torrent server.

A torrent file is a ".torrent" extension file used by the BitTorrent peer-to-peer exchange protocol.

BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer (P2P) data transfer protocol across a computer network. This protocol allows users to download files not directly from the download server, but from other users who have already retrieved these files from the download server. This avoids overloading the download server. Each user who downloaded an attachment immediately becomes a server in turn. Preferably, the recipient has a client application capable of managing the torrent file. Otherwise it can install it by following instructions contained in the new attachment or given by its operating system.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the step of moving the attachments is to two redundant download servers, the uniform resource identifier pointing to one of these two download servers. The link to one or the other download server can be determined randomly or successively, one then the other depending on the emails sent and for which the separation process is carried out.

Advantageously, the download server is an email server managing the transmission of said email. This server E-mail may be a local server vis-à-vis a mailing machine of said email or a remote server accessible via the Internet.

According to one embodiment, the uniform resource identifier can be added in the form of a link in the body of the email text. In this case, the process is intrusive in the body of the email.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for transmitting an electronic mail said email to a receiving server of a recipient, the email comprising a body of text and at least one attachment, this apparatus comprising a server email that automatically performs the following actions:

detection of the maximum acceptable size by the reception server for an email,

- comparison of the size of the email with respect to this maximum size,

- when the size of the email is less than or equal to the maximum size, direct transmission of the email to the receiving server,

- when the size of the email is greater than the maximum size:

- extraction of all attachments,

- moving these attachments to at least one download server,

- transmission of the email to the recipient.

According to the invention, the electronic mail server comprises an SMTP client able to generate an SMTP communication with the reception server so as to detect said maximum size. This email server comprises a web server capable of generating a web page containing all of said attachments.

Furthermore, the device can host said at least one download server which is associated with high capacity storage means such as hard disks or flash memories of several GB. Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will appear on examining the detailed description of a non-limiting embodiment, and the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a global system for implementing the method according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating various steps performed within a messaging server implementing the method according to the invention. Although the invention is not limited thereto, the method according to the invention for sending an email 20 between a laptop 11 of a transmitter 10 and a personal assistant 18 equipped with software and software means will now be described. hardware allowing a recipient 19 to view e-mails. The transmitter 10 prepares from his laptop 11 an email

20 conventionally. This email 20 consists of a body 12 generally containing text and embedded images, and a set of attachments 13.

In step 1 in FIG. 1, the transmitter 10 sends its e-mail 20 in a conventional manner to a messaging server 14. According to the invention, this messaging server of the transmitter comprises a microprocessor and storage means in which is arranged a software application whose functionalities are executed by the microprocessor. These functionalities make it possible to implement the steps of the method according to the invention.

When the mail server 14 receives the email 20, it then performs a detection step 2 in which it checks the maximum size that the mail server 16 of the recipient 19 can accept by email. For this purpose, the messaging server 14 acts as an SMTP client according to the SMTP protocol. The result of this detection step 2 may, for example, be a maximum size of 10 MB. The messaging server 14 then analyzes this result by comparing the maximum size of 10 MB with the size of the email 20. If the size of the email 20 is less than or equal to 10 MB, the mail server 14 sends (step not shown) directly the email 20 to the mail server 16. On the other hand, when the size of the email 20 is greater than the maximum size of 10 MB, the messaging server 14 triggers a separation process 3 in which all the attachments 13 are moved to a download server 17.

This download server 17 can be included in the mail server 14 or remotely placed on the Internet. Advantageously, all the links shown in Figure 1 is via an Internet type of communication network.

In step 4, the download server 17 returns a uniform resource identifier to the mail server 14.

The mail server 14 then develops a new attachment 15 which is associated with the body 12. The assembly then constitutes an email 21 in which the body 12 is identical to the body of the original email 20. Advantageously the new attachment 15 is a file HTML having the uniform resource identifier for attachments 13 stored within the download server 17. This uniform resource identifier is a hyperlink encoded as an HTML redirect. The code for this HTML redirect can be the following:

In this code, the duration may for example be zero or a few seconds.

HTML redirection also called "META REFRESH" allows the automatic opening of a Web browser on a web page when the recipient clicks on the new attachment 15. This web page displays all the attachments 13, it corresponds in fact the file which contains all the attachments 13 contained in the download server 17.

In step 5 in Figure 1, the mail server 14 sends the email 21 to the mail server 16 of the recipient. Advantageously, this email 21 has a size less than or equal to 10 MB. The mail server 16 accepts this email 21 and puts it to the disposal of the personal assistant 18 of the recipient 19 to step 6. When the recipient 19 consults his email and wishes to retrieve these attachments 13, he clicks on the attachment 15 which, automatically according to the HTML redirection process, opens a web page where the recipient can retrieve attachments 13 in step 7.

FIG. 2 shows a little more in detail the progress of the steps that can be carried out within a messaging server of the transmitter, of the messaging server type 14 of FIG. 1.

The beginning of the flowchart of FIG. 2 corresponds to the reception of the email 20 from the laptop 11 of the transmitter 10. In step a, the messaging server 14 receives the email 20 with attachments 13, the whole must be sent. Step b of the flowchart of FIG. 2 corresponds to step 2 in FIG. 1 in which the maximum size accepted by the recipient's mail server is verified by means of the SMTP protocol.

In step c, the mail server 14 checks whether the size of the email is greater than this maximum size:

in the case of a negative response, the original e-mail 20 is sent directly during step d;

in the case of a positive response, all the attachments 13 are extracted during step e.

In step f, these attachments 13 are moved to a download server 17.

In step g, the email 20 is modified by adding in the body or in a new attachment 15, as shown in Figure 1, a reference to the public location of the extracted attachments 13. This reference is a URI resource uniform identifier for resource localization through an Internet type communication network. This identifier can be is a hyperlink. The new attachment can be an HTML file, a Torrent file, or other.

In step h, the modified email 21 is sent.

With the method according to the invention, the sender's mail server is an intelligent server that detects the maximum size of e-mail that the recipient's e-mail server can accept, and then of the result, this e-mail server of the sender transmits the original e-mail directly or triggers an attachment separation process.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples that have just been described and many adjustments can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

REVEN DICATIONS

1. A method for transmitting an e-mail said e-mail to a receiving server of a recipient, this e-mail comprising a body of text and at least one piece joi nte, this method com ing the following steps:

detection of the maximum tail acceptable by the reception server for an email,

- comparison of the size of the email against this maximum size, - when the size of the email is less than or equal to the maximum size, direct transmission of the email to the receiving server,

- when the size of the email is greater than the maximum size:

- extraction of all attachments,

- moving these parts to the e ns a download server,

adding in the e-mail a uniform resource identifier called URI for Uniform Resource Identifier, which is sent to the location of said pieces, and

- transmission of the modified e-mail to the des- ternary.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the uniform resource identifier is added as a link in a new attachment in the email.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the new piece joi nte is a html file.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the uniform resource identifier is a hyperlink.

5. Method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the uniform resource identifier is a redi rection HTM L or redi rection "M ETA REFRESH" to automatically access the location where are stored said attachments to means of a web browser.

6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the uniform resource identifier points to a web page displaying all of said attachments.

7. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the new attachment is a Torrent file, the download server is also a Torrent server.

8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the step of moving the attachments is to two redundant download servers, the uniform resource identifier pointing to one of these two download servers .

9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one download server is an email server managing the transmission of said email.

10. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the e-mail server is a local server vis-à-vis a shipping machine of said e-mail.

11. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the detection is a step prior to sending the email in which an SMTP communication is generated to the reception server.

Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the uniform resource identifier is added as a link in the body of the email text.

13. Apparatus for transmitting an email said email to a receiving server of a recipient, the email comprising a body of text and at least one attachment, the apparatus comprising an email server performing the following automatic operations: - detection the maximum size acceptable by the receiving server for an email, - comparison of the size of the email with respect to this maximum size,

- when the size of the email is greater than the maximum size:

- extraction of all attachments,

- moving these attachments to at least one download server,

- transmission of the email to the recipient.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the electronic mail server comprises an SMTP client capable of generating an SMTP communication with the reception server so as to detect said maximum size.

15. Apparatus according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the electronic mail server comprises a web server capable of displaying a web page containing all of said attachments.

16. Apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that it hosts said at least one download server which is associated with storage means of large capacity.